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The Rosie Project

1/29/2014

I use Grammarly's plagiarism checker because I'm just as paranoidly OCD as Don Tillman is (that means A LOT).

The BEST book I've read in a loooong time. The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion is one of those books that make you cry & laugh (out loud), and you (almost) don't even find it embarrassing. I read it in a day (just like any other book really) and already regret it - books like these should be read over a period of a few weeks at least, just so you can have that good-mood booster last a little bit longer.

The Rosie Project is a story of Don Tillman, an autistic professor of genetics, who decides to take on a rather logic approach of searching for a potential life partner. And by a rather logic approach I mean questionnaires. The Wife Project begins. Alas, life turns out to be less logical than Don would like it to be. Through The Father Project, he gets to conduct what he calls The Rosie Project. Obviously, involving a crazy hippie girl called Rosie. There won't be any spoilers this time, just a few of my favourite quotes - I'm pretty sure they will draw a better picture of the book rather than an A4 detailed review.

“But why, why, why can't people just say what they mean?”

“You’re unbelievable,’ said Rosie. ‘Look at me when I’m talking.’I kept looking out the window. I was already over-stimulated. ‘I know what you look like.”

“I could not see the speedometer, and was not accustomed to travelling
in an open vehicle, but I estimated that we were consistently exceeding
the speed limit.Discordant sound, wind, risk of death—I tried to assume the mental state that I used at the dentist.”

“But I’m not good at understanding what other people want.’‘Tell me something I don’t know,’ said Rosie for no obvious reason.I quickly searched my mind for an interesting fact. ‘Ahhh…The testicles of drone bees and wasp spiders explode during sex.”

“Research consistently shows that the risks to health outweigh the
benefits of drinking alcohol. My argument is that the benefits to my mental health justify the risks.”

The Rosie Project is absolutely brilliant, such a feel good read, but still smart enough to make think about the meaning of life itself. You can get the book here for just £3.80.